Ross approves 300-home development

Daily Photo Galleries

Allegheny Photo Galleries

The first phases of the largest land development in Ross in almost 30 years were approved on Monday for property that was once home to Highland Country Club.

Ross commissioners OK'd a resolution that will allow developers to begin work in the spring on a development that will include more than 300 homes.

Financial woes closed the country club in 2011, and Limerick Land Partners, a Whitehall-based partnership between developer Dan Caste and Heartland Homes, bought the land in 2012.

Developers are in the process of demolishing the clubhouse.

The 120-acre tract off Highland Avenue that held the club and an 18-hole golf course is the largest piece of undeveloped property in Ross, Caste said.

Limerick's plan proposes building as many as 167 townhouses and 134 single-family homes on the site.

Caste estimates that the 300 residences will add about $80 million to Ross' tax base each year, which planning commission member Nelson Erb said is the largest development in the township since the construction of Ross Park Mall in 1986.

“There's not too much property left to develop,” Erb said.

The commissioners initially denied a planned residential development application in April because the board believed the developer's traffic study was insufficient.

Limerick appealed the decision in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, and Judge Joseph James granted Limerick preliminary approval on Dec. 31.

At the meeting, the commissioners unanimously approved work for Phases 1 and 2 of the project, covering 58 townhouses and 18 single-family homes.

Developers plan to break ground in May and hope to complete the homes by spring 2015.

“The view will be different,” said Beth Gazica, who lives on Gass Road across from the property. “It will definitely change the dynamics of this area.”

Kelsey Shea is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 724-772-6353 or kshea@tribweb.com.

TribLive commenting policy

You are solely responsible for your comments and by using TribLive.com you agree to our Terms of Service.

We moderate comments. Our goal is to provide substantive commentary for a general readership. By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information.

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers.

We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. We make an effort to protect discussions from repeated comments  either by the same reader or different readers.

We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. Don't include URLs to Web sites.

We do not edit comments. They are either approved or deleted. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation.

We welcome strong opinions and criticism of our work, but we don't want comments to become bogged down with discussions of our policies and we will moderate accordingly.

We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. But these suggestions should be sent via e-mail. To avoid distracting other readers, we won't publish comments that suggest a correction. Instead, corrections will be made in a blog post or in an article.

Print Source

Welcome to PrintSource, a division of Trib Total Media.

We have established a veteran team that provides daily and weekly newspaper companies with a comprehensive set of services that include design, print, packaging and delivery of their products, all from one source and location.

Gone are the days when each facet of newspaper printing and delivery had to be outsourced to different companies and venues. Now, PrintSource provides a viable solution with just one phone call.

Digital Sales

We offer a wide variety of traditional and new digital advertising options customized to fit your needs!

Whether you're just starting out, or you've been a keystone in the community for years, our knowledgeable staff can provide you with a customized package including online banners/advertisements, Social Media Marketing (Facebook / Twitter), Website development, Search Engine Optimization, Email Marketing solutions and much more!

Contact your local sales rep today for details, personalized proposal and a meeting to discuss how we can meet your needs.